Seal around shower head/faucet valve/tub spout

Hi there,

I've just installed new tub/shower valve recently. I wonder now when I put in shower head/valve cover plate/spout, if I need to seal/caulk around them.

Obviously there is opening into the wall around these few spots.


I expect to wash the tile wall like once a week with soap/water.


There is no escutcheon/base plate for the spout. The tiles around the spout aren't completely flush so there's definite gap there.

Do I need to install a base plate/escutcheon for the spout (there wasn't one in the valve kit), or it's just for cosmetic purpose?

The valve cover plate has a foam pad inside so it looks like it'd providing a seal to block water from going into the valve opening.

And if I do caulk, do I need some gap at the bottom--so water can escape--in case water does get inside.

Thx... .

Yes, generally a small gap at the bottom is standard practice. Around the spout, it depends how uneven the tile, how large the gap, what the surface of the back of the spout is, and how much movement there is determines how best to treat it. There does exist a renovation plate that can close the gap. One trick is to pull the spout forward with a narrow wedge at the bottom to hold the gap open until the silicone caulk cures. Then when the wedge is removed, there is a small constant pressure applied against the seal.

I don't trust the foam pads to seal well enough so I butter them up with caulk.